4 steps to get more sales from your website

The new year offers an opportunity to look at how you could be doing things better – and what better way to start than figuring out how to bag more sales?

Over the past couple of years, the methods for customers paying for things online has shifted quicker than most business owners can keep up.

People are shopping 24/7, using mobile devices to shop wherever and whenever it’s convenient for them.

Meanwhile, they’re now using new methods for getting money to merchants – from cards, BPay all the way through to eWallets.

If your business isn’t keeping up with the trends and adapting to the way customers prefer to pay, then you’re risking leaving sales on the table as your customers start to shop with your savvier competitors.

The key to keeping up is to have an eCommerce strategy in place which is adaptable and nimble as your customers are.

Luckily, this doesn’t need to be a huge deal – here are four steps you can take to make sure you’re making it as easy as possible for your customers to pay you online.

Step 1: Choose an eCommerce platform and merchant service that’s right for you

Not all eCommerce platforms and merchant services are the same.

You’ll have to measure your options and choose a solution that will get your ahead.

Generally speaking, you’ll want to avoid any merchant service solutions that are “built in” to your eCommerce platform. These aren’t always bad, but it’s best to use a provider that specialises in payment solutions.

If you need a method for processing online transactions and credit cards, use a payment solutions provider who specialises with these services.

Their expertise is more likely to ensure that the system works correctly, you can get support when you need it, and they can score you the most advantageous fees and transaction rates for their services.

MYOB PayBy is one such merchant services provider, which gives your customers the ability to pay invoices at the click of a button.

It also features fraud detection tools and a PCI DSS v3 Level 1 compliance gateway to make sure both you and your customer can rest easy knowing payments are being made safely.

By making customers comfortable on the first visit and making the checkout quick and easy, you encourage frequent and repeat business.

Step 4: Analyse your data

If you aren’t taking advantage of the data you have on hand to learn more about your customer base, you’re doing it wrong.

Collecting data is vital to learning about your customers. You can learn more about what your customers want to buy, when they are most likely to purchase, where they like to buy, what payment methods they prefer.

A side effect of having all that juicy data is knowing which segment of your customer base will respond best to your marketing efforts.

This means you can avoid a one-size fits all marketing approach and customise your marketing for each segment.